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Wal-Mart cuts iPhone 4 price to $147

From now until June 30, you can save $53 on a 16GB black or white iPhone 4 from either AT&T or Verizon. As always, a two-year contract is required.

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida

With barely an hour to go until Apple's WWDC kicks off, Wal-Mart announced that it has cut the price of the 16GB iPhone 4 to $147 from $197.

This offer is good from now until June 30, and it applies to both the black and white models.

You'll need a new line of service from either AT&T or Verizon, plus the obligatory two-year contract. The offer is available only in "select stores," meaning you can't get it online. (Wal-Mart's site currently lists all iPhones as "out of stock.")

Why the sudden and substantial discount? One possibility: Apple will also announce an iPhone 4 price cut, dropping the 16GB model to $149 from $199. Consequently, buying from Wal-Mart would save you only a couple bucks.

That's just a guess on my part, but I can't recall ever seeing such a large discount on new (i.e. nonrefurbished) Apple gear. At best, most retailers lop off a few dollars.

On the other hand, maybe Wal-Mart was able to work out a special deal with Apple. If that's the case, and the $147 price is exclusive to it, think you'll take advantage? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Update: Well, no price cut from Apple! For the moment, it looks like Wal-mart is the place to score the best deal on an iPhone 4. At least until June 30.